How Do Facebook Pixels Really Work?
Creating and adding a Facebook Pixel to your website can be quite a task…
… especially if you fully don’t understand what you’re doing.
But here’s the deal… using pixels is arguably the most important business building, a time-saving, stress-reducing strategy you need to implement into your business today.
In a moment we’re going to dive into why and how you should use pixels in your Facebook marketing.
But first…
There Are Several Things You Can Do With A Facebook Pixel…
- Track conversions
- Optimize your Facebook Ad for a specific event
- Remarketing
- Create lookalike audiences
- Run effective Facebook Ads
Ultimately if you want to create better Facebook ads, understand your metrics and find the right audience…
… using a Facebook Pixel is a must.
Where To Start With A Facebook Pixel
To get started with a Facebook pixel you’ll need access to your Facebook Ad manager or Facebook Business manager.
Once you have access you’re now ready to start using your Facebook Pixel.
(you may have to complete the steps to set up your business or ad manager in order to get access)
Next, you’ll need to have a website where you can access the area of your site to an insert a small snippet code.
Now, this may sound a bit scary.
However, most sites like WordPress, Lead Pages, and Click Funnels make it easy to insert your Facebook Pixel.
For Example:
- If using WordPress you can use a plugin called Pixel Caffeine by Ad Espresso. This plugin makes installing a pixel simple and they also offer easy to follow instructions.
- If you have created your own website using Click Funnels you can open up the editing section of your page, click on “Settings”, then add the pixel code to the tracking code section.
- If you are using Lead Pages you will find that like Click Funnels, there will be an option to insert a tracking code. This is where your Facebook Pixel will go.
If you’re using a different type of website builder then the ones listed above, just contact their support department and specifically ask where do you need to place a Facebook Pixel code.
Now that you are familiar with where you will need to install your Facebook Pixel it’s now time to grab your default Facebook Pixel.
You will need to go to the pixel section in your Facebook Ad manager, which can be found HERE.
Follow The Steps Below:
- Click to create a pixel if you have never set up a pixel before.
- Give your pixel a name.
- Check the box to accept the terms.
- Click to create the pixel.
After going through those steps above you will then get a Facebook pixel code ready to be copied and added to your site.
The code will look something like this, less the black lines.
Add your newly created pixel to your website.
If you are not the person who has access to the code on your site you can email your pixel code to your website developer and have that person add the code for you.
Now here is where the power of the Facebook Pixel comes into play. By using event codes that requires an additional code added to your pixel you can now track a few things.
- Purchases
- Leads
- Completed Registrations
- Added Payment Info
- Added to Cart
- Add to Wishlist
- Initiated Checkout
- Searched
- Viewed Contact
All these events are actions that can be tracked by just adding the appropriate event code to your site.
But, here’s where it gets tricky. If you want to track an event such as a lead you will need to add the event code Facebook gives you once created to the page after the event happens.
To Track The Following Events Then Use These Placements:
- Purchases – place the purchase event code on the thank you page after the page the buyer completes the purchase.
- Lead – place the lead event code after the opt-in page such as the thank you page or the page the person goes to after opting in.
- Completes Registration – place this event code on the page that your registrant goes to after they fill out the registration form.
- View Content – place this event code on the actual content page. If your visitor has to push a button in order to view the content still put this code on the actual page where the content is.
If you are wondering where to get these event codes, I have provided an image below of our Facebook Ads manager back office. Once you click on set up in the Facebook Pixel section of your ad account you will see a section that says add events.
Choose the event you want to track by sliding the button over to the right.
Once your code is displayed, copy the code and add that code to the bottom of your generic pixel code on the appropriate page.
If you have not already done so, you should also have your generic pixel on all pages of your website.
For example, you should put your generic pixel code on your opt-in page, bridge page, thank you page, etc….
It’s best practice to add your generic pixel code to all of your websites that you’re marketing online.
The last step is to make sure your pixel is working properly by using Pixel Helper.
All you need to do is download the extension and install it on your Chrome browser.
The Pixel Helper will help to determine if your pixel has been installed correctly.
That’s pretty much it!
Now you’re ready to start tracking and creating better Facebook Ads.
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